A single model home sits amid the World's unfinished islands off the coast of Dubai. Jorge Ferrari / EPA

By Tim McGirk Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 …Depending on your point of view, the World is either the apex of mankind’s ingenuity or a cautionary tale about the feverish excesses of Dubai’s 21st century boom. Each island was selling for $15 million to $50 million, by invitation only: its developers were pitching the spits of land to tycoons, sportsmen and celebrities. But when Dubai’s property market imploded last year, dropping more than 50%, cheeky headlines in the international press suggested that “the end of the World” had arrived. One dealer was quoted as saying that the multibillion-dollar project had been postponed “indefinitely.” (See pictures of Dubai.) …

A Five-Star Ghost Town at the End of ‘The World’ via The Oil Drum